Lincolnshire County Council reveal the shock cost of bringing roads up to standard

The county council has admitted hundreds of millions of pounds of extra funding would need to be ploughed into its coffers to make a '˜massive difference' to plans for repairing roads.
Potholes on West Street, Horncastle.Potholes on West Street, Horncastle.
Potholes on West Street, Horncastle.

The authority has faced mounting criticism for failing to repair potholes - and the standard of work actually being carried out.

In a statement to the News, the council’s Highways department says the recent injection of an extra £12m for road repairs is welcome but stresses it will take much more money to bring the county’s roads up the standard it would like.

The council stresses it is campaigning for a fairer funding deal from central Government but without extra money admits the frustration for residents - and road users - will continue.

The statement says: “Recently, the council agreed to invest a further £12m in highways maintenance for this year .

“While this is a step in the right direction, it is nowhere near the hundreds of millions of pounds we’d need to bring our roads up to the standard we’d like.

“What is really needed is for Lincolnshire to receive fairer funding from the government, which is something we are campaigning for hard.

“If the council received the average funding for council areas in England, the region would benefit from £116 million of extra funding for services every year – some of which could be used towards highways repairs.

“That would make a massive difference.”

The statement was issued following reports in the News which highlighted problems facing residents living on rural lanes in Hagworthingham and Stixwould.

In both cases, residents say they are fed up waiting for roads to be repaired and have submitted or agreed compensation claims with the county council for damage to their cars.

The council says it understands how residents feel but stresses it has to prioritise repairs.

The statement adds: “We realise this is a frustrating situation for residents and would like to reassure them that we are taking action.

“We currently have a significant backlog of potholes to deal with and need to prioritise repairs to busier routes.

“That means it’s likely to be some time before these issues (Hagworthingham and Stixwould) are resolved.”

Councillors and residents in Horncastle will have the chance to quiz the County Council’s Highways supremo Coun Richard Davies - but they will have to wait until July.

Coun Davies - the portfolio holder for highways at county hall - has agreed to attend a meeting of horncastle town council on July 10.

The town council has been critical of the county council’s system for reporting road repairs - and of the actual work carried out .

The county council has confirmed major works will take place in horncastle in the coming months including the re-surfacing of Boston Road and West Street - although that has led to concerns about potential delays and the impact on businesses and residential properties.